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Worse Than You Think: Public Debt Forecast Errors in Advanced and Developing Economies

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  • Ostry, Jonathan D.
  • Estefania Flores, Julia
  • Furceri, Davide
  • Kothari, Siddharth

Abstract

We compile a unique dataset of medium-term public debt forecasts for an unbalanced panel of 174 countries, based on IMF (for the period 1995–2020) and Economist Intelligence Unit (2007–20) projections. We find that on average: (i) there is a positive forecast error (FE) in the debt-to-GDP projections—that is, realized debt ratios are larger than forecasts; (ii) the FE increases with the projection horizon and is statistically significant and large—about 10 percent of GDP at the five-year horizon; (iii) the magnitude is similar between advanced (AEs) and emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), and in EMDEs is present irrespective of recessions while for AEs is associated with surprise recessions in the forecast horizon; (iv) FEs are not statistically different between IMF program and non-program cases; (v) positive FEs are only partly attributable to optimism about growth; and (vi) oil-exporters and more volatile countries tend to have larger FEs. If FEs following the COVID crisis are in line with those that followed the Global Financial Crisis, average debt ratios in EMDEs would increase to close to 73 percent of GDP by 2025 instead of declining to 63 percent of GDP as currently forecast.

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  • Ostry, Jonathan D. & Estefania Flores, Julia & Furceri, Davide & Kothari, Siddharth, 2021. "Worse Than You Think: Public Debt Forecast Errors in Advanced and Developing Economies," CEPR Discussion Papers 16108, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16108
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    Cited by:

    1. M. Ayhan Kose & Peter Nagle & Franziska Ohnsorge & Naotaka Sugawara, 2021. "What has been the impact of COVID-19 on debt? Turning a wave into a tsunami," CAMA Working Papers 2021-99, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    2. Cronin, David & McQuinn, Kieran, 2023. "Government debt forecast errors and the net expenditure rule in EU countries: Undue optimism at a cost," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 1113-1131.
    3. Cronin, David & McGowan, Kieran, 2023. "Government debt forecast errors and the net expenditure rule in EU countries," Papers WP756, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    4. Bachleitner, Alena & Prammer, Doris, 2024. "Don’t blame the government!? An assessment of debt forecast errors with a view to the EU Economic Governance Review," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public debt; Forecast errors;

    JEL classification:

    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt
    • H68 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Forecasts of Budgets, Deficits, and Debt

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